Chemical manufacture



i Mb my 1945 G. P. VINCENT ET m.,

CHEMI CAL MANUFACTURE Filed Oct. 26, 1.942 l Sheets-Sheet l mw Ii MTGRNEYS G. P. VINCENT ET AL,

CHEMICAL MANUFACTURE Filed oct. ze, 1942 sneetsneet 2 WIV @wij w www@ www www m m N N, g ,.J :www f @J i Alf/M l /mnr L bm ww LMV W www www a @Y vm nr i/ uw il l lil m%\\ W m A m5 m j 1 11 www@ G. P. VINCENTl ETAL CHEMLQAL MANUFAGTURE Filed OCL. 26, 1942 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 NVENTORS J//oce/o ATTORNEYS Feb 19, 1946. G. P. VINCI-:NT ET AL CHEM I CAL MANUFAGTURE E iled Oct. V25, 1942 4'1Sheets-Sheet 4 iatented Feb. 19, 1946 UNITED STATE CHEMICAL FACTURE Application October 26, 1942, Serial No. 463,334

(El. S8-5) 8 Claims.

This invention is concerned with textile treatment and contemplates improvements in textile iinishing in which a long piece of textile is passed continuously through a steam chamber or the like.

It has been proposed heretofore to subject unfinished textiles to the action of steam alone or in conjunction With other reagents to remove impurities such as motes, waxes, pectins and sizes from the textiles. Thus', as disclosed in our copending applications Serial Nos. 357,280 and 357,281, both led on September 18, 1940, and Serial No. 353,664, led September 27, 1940, steaming of textiles, for example greige cloth, impregnated with various reagents such as acid or alkaline chlorite solutions tends to improve both the speed and the result of the finishing operation.

The steaming of textiles conveniently is conducted by passing long pieces of'cloth continuously through a closed steam chamber or the like, the cloth being continuously admitted to and removed from the chamber through glands or the like which prevent escape of the steam. Thus, the cloth in rope form may be impregnated with a bleaching solution or the like, after which the rope is pulled into the steam chamber through a gland or stuing box and removed from the chamber through a similar gland. Such a procedure is simple, from the standpoint of the apparatus required, but the treatment of unfinished textiles in rope form, or for that matter in any other form which involves creasing the textile affects the result deleteriously. Not only are the creases or crows feet difficult to remove, but in steaming the creased portions may acquire different affinities for treating agents and may develop dyeing or bleaching characteristics other than those in the balance of the cloth, with the result that dyeing yor bleaching tends to emphasize the creases or crows feet and produces a blemished product.

We have developed an apparatus wherein the cloth may be subjected to steaming Without fear oi' the development of creases so sharp that the cloth acquires non-uniform characteristics during steaming. Thus, we have discovered that if the fabric to be treated is formed into a series of accordion folds and carried through the steaming zone on a moving surface, with the folds disposed in a substantially upright position, all of the benecial results of steaming are obtained, while the deleterious results heretofore characteristic of steaming operations are eliminated. Thus, our invention contemplates in an apparatus comprises a, closed steam chamber, a conveyor disposed in the chamber and movable laterally therein, means for introducing a ribbon. or sheet of cloth continuously into the chamber, means for forming a series of accordion folds in the ribbon of cloth, means for depositing the folded ribbon continuously on the conveyor with the folds in a substantially upright position, and means for withdrawing the steamed ribbon of cloth continuously fromthe conveyor and from the chamber.

In the preferred form of our apparatus, the cloth in the form ci. a flat and uncreased rit fbon is pulled continuously into the steam chamber through a at slit or gland by means of positively driven rollers or pulleys over which the ribbon of cloth passes, Conveniently, one of the positively driven rollers is disposed within the chamber itself and is so arranged that the cloth leaving the roller falls into a substantially vertical guideway below the roller to form a series of gentle accordion folds which are slid immediately on to the conveyor. The folds, as formed, are substantially horizontal but at the bottom of the vertical guideway the cloth enters a curved chute which is substantially tangential to the guideway at its entrance and substantially tangential to a laterally moving conveyor surface at its exit. The chute acts to carry the series of accordion folds around the corner and deposit them in a substantially upright position on the laterally moving conveyor. The speed of the conveyor is such in relation to the speed of the rollers which introduce the cloth into the steam chamber, that the shape of the folds remains substantially unchanged as the cloth moves along the conveyor to its opposite end. At this point, the cloth is removed from the conveyor and continuously unfolded by means of pulleys or 'the like Which impart to the cloth substantially the same linear speed that it had when it entered the steam chamber. Thus, after the cloth has been carried as a series of vertically disposed accordion folds through the chamber, it is continuously unfolded and withdrawn from the steam chamber as a flat uncreased ribbon, the withdrawal being accomplished through a ilat slit or gland.

The two sides of the guideway or folder mechanism in which the folds are formed are prei"- erably adjustable with respect to eachother, this adjustmentserving to regulate the character ci the folds formed in the falling ribbon of cloth. Moreover, the sidesk of the guideway preferably are dened by vertically disposed ropes or the for steaming textiles, the combination which lili like `rather than by continuous ilat surfaces. it

each other so as to form a gentle-curved elbow.

The conveyor preferably is of the endless type and advantageously is a plurality of parallel spaced ropes or the like passing over grooved sheaves. This type of conveyor is superior to a solid belt in several respects, especially since it permits free access of the steam t all portions of the folded cloth on the conveyor.

The cloth may be removed from the conveyor and unfolded with a variety of apparatus. However, we prefer to remove the cloth from the conveyor by means of a series of positively driven discs which are interposed between the ropes of the conveyor and together form a pick-up roll which lifts the cloth from the conveyor and pushes it onto a chute, the outer end of which is curved upwardly. The folded cloth is pushed by the disc roll onto and up the surface of the chute 5o that the folds in the cloth again assume a more or less horizontal position. Immediately, the cloth is pulled continuously from the top of the horizontal pile of loose folds thus formed and is Withdrawn from the steam chamber.

These and other features of our invention will be more thoroughly understood in the light of the following detailed description of a presently preferred form of our apparatus taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a broken side view of the apparatus of the invention;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged side view of the feed end of the apparatus;

Fig. 3 is a sectional end view taken along line 3-3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a sectional plan view taken along line 4 4 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is an enlarged side view of the discharge end of the apparatus shown in Fig. 1;

. Fig. 6 is a sectional end view taken along line 6-6 of Fig. 5; and

Fig. 'l is a sectional plan view taken along line 1 1 of Fig. 5.

Essentially the apparatus illustrated in the drawings comprises a steam chamber I0 in the form of an elongated cabinet II with an upwardly enlarged feed end portion I2 and an upwardly enlarged discharge end portion I3. An elongated endless positively driven conveyor I4 extends in a horizontal position longitudinally from one end of the steam chamber to the other. A ribbon I5 of fabric is introduced into the upper portion of the feed end by a feedir f' mechanism comprising positively-driven rolls I6, I1, I8. The ribbon of cloth falls downwardly in the feed end of the chamber through a folding mechanisml or guideway I9 which forms the cloth into a pile of loose horizontally disposed accordion folds. The folded cloth is withdrawn from the bottom of the folding mechanism through a curved chute 2li which serves to feed the folded cloth onto the conveyor with the folds disposed in a more or less upright position. The ribbon of cloth with the folds in the upright position is carried through the steam chamber on the conveyor, and is lifted oil the conveyor at the discharge end by a pick-up roll 2| which pushes the folds of cloth upwardly on a curved slide 22 s0 that the folds again assume a more or less horizontal position. From the top of the folded pile on the slide the cloth is continuously withdrawn and unfolded and removed from the steam chambef.

To consider the apparatus in greater detail, it should be observed that two of the driving rolls I6, I'I are disposed outside the steam chamber with the third roll I8 inside. The cloth passes to the inside roll through a suitable slit or gland 23 which acts as a seal, so that the steam chamber can be operated either at super-atmospheric or sub-atmospheric pressures. 'I'he area of contact between the textile ribbon and the driving rolls should be such that the friction between them draws the ribbon continuously into the apparatus and at the same time permits slippage between the ribbon and the rolls if the movement of the ribbon is suddenly stopped. Ordinarily, the ribbon will be withdrawn continuously from a preceding apparatus (not shown) in which it is impregnated continuously with a treatment solution, for example an aqueous chlorite solution. If an obstacle should interfere with this withdrawal, the rolls permit slippage so that the ribbon is not torn.

Other apparatus for continuously introducing the ribbon of textile into the steam chamber may be employed. However, friction rolls are to be preferred over the nip or press rolls heretofore customarily employed for feeding cloth through a treating operation, because the friction rolls not only prevent tearing of the textile but also avoid ythe formation of creases or crows feet therein and do not squeeze from the ribbon the treating solution with which the cloth may be impregnated.

The textile ribbon being fed into the steam chamber (due to its wet nature and the tension exerted upon it) tends to stick en the inside roll. But the apparatus is provided with a stripper 24 in the form of a horizontal perforated pipe disposed immediately below the inside roll and adapted to blow jets of steam against the passing ribbon of cloth. The steam stripper, in

addition to its stripping function, serves to guide the4 textile without coming in contact with it and also tends to preheat it, thereby accelerating the action in the steam chamber.

The cloth moving past the stripper falls into the guideway I9 adapted to form it into a series of loose horizontally disposed accordion folds. The guideway is substantially vertical and is defined by a left-hand guide member 25 and a. righthand guide member 26. These guide members are disposed substantially parallel to each other and may be made of sheet, strip, or rope material. Preferably the material is of a flexible nature and in our preferred structure, the guides are formed of a plurality of parallel ropes that are stretched upwardly from the curved chute which serves to shift the moving folds from a horizontal to an upright position.

To consider the guideway in greater detail, the right-hand guide member comprises a plurality of vertically stretched ropes 21, 21A. et seq. fastened at their upper end to a guide bar 2s that is movable inwardly or outwardly on a horizontal slider 29. Similarly, the lower end of these ropes is fastened to a guide bar 30 which is movable inwardly or outwardly on a horizontal slider 3|. The lower guide bar also supports the bottom 32 of the curved chute 20, this bottom being in the form of a curved plate disposed approximately tangentially to the ropes of the right-hand guide member at its upper end and more or less tangential to the conveyor at its lower end. Conveniently, this curved chute plate and the other chute or slide plates are made of stainless steel or other material that is resistant to the atmosphere prevailing in the chamber.

The left-hand guide member comprises a plurality of vertically stretched parallelropes 33, 33A, 33B et seq. fastened at the top fto a supporting bar 34 that may be moved backward and forward from the path of the falling textile. At the bottom the ropes are fastened to the upper curved plate 86 of the curved chuteor slide.

The upper end of the left-hand guide, i. e. the supporting bar 34 is fastened to a shaft 36 by means of a pair of levers 31, 81A and is rotatable with respect to the shaft, so that the slope of the left-hand guide member may be changed to facilitate folding oi.' the falling cloth. A cable 38 or other means may be employed to change the position of the supporting bar, and thus change the slope of the left-hand guide element. As indicated above, the bars at the top and bottom of the right-hand guide element may also be moved in or out to narrow .the guideway for the cloth and also to narrow the curved chutes or to change the slope of the right-hand guide.

rivne guide members should be somewhat wider than the cloth, so that the outside ropes of the guide elements are disposed outside the path of the cloth. The weight of the cloth on the ropes against which it bears bends these ropes outward slightly, leaving the extreme side ropes in their normal straight position, so that these act to keep the material from falling sideways out of the guideway.

As indicated above, the guides preferably are formed of vertically disposed ropes or wires. However, sheet material of fabric or even metal may be employed.

In the treatment of fabrics containing chlorites or hydrochlorites the guiding elements conveniently are of cotton rope or stainless steel wire.

Y Glass ropes may also be employed and may be used with a greater variety of treating agents.

In the operation of the device, the resistance of the right-hand guide (against which the falling cloth tends to bear) combined with the speed of the oncoming cloth tends to fold the cloth and tip itin a horizontal direction until it strikes the left-hand guide. The latter not only prevents the textile from falling further forward but folds the cloth backward, the result being a series of loose horizontally disposed folds which slide down through the guideway into the curved chute. The action of the curved chute is such that the horizontal folds are brought to a more or less 4 vertical position on the4 conveyor. The upper plate 35 of the chute tends to hold back the lefthand bends of successive folds to a greater degree than the right-hand bends of these folds are held back oy the lower plate 32, probably because the upper plate is more sharply curved and tends to drain relatively dry while the lower plate tends to be wet. In any case, the curved chute does cause the folds to turn a corner and be disposed upon the conveyor in a vertical position.

The conveyor M shown in the drawings is particularly effective and comprises a plurality of spaced conveyor ropes 40, 40A et seq. which form an endless conveyor extending longitudinally through the steam chamber from the feed end to the discharge end` The spaced ropes run in grooves in a head pulley fil and a tail pulley d2 positioned respectively at the feed and discharge ends of the chamber. In between the head and f tail pulleys the ropes are supported by`a plurality of sheaves 43, 43A et sed. and idler or take-up pulleys M, 44A et seq., the latter serving principally to prevent the ropes from dragging along the bottom of the steam chamber. r

All of the pulleys are somewhat wider than the ribbon .of cloth and are dished inwardly, i. e. the outside grooves of the pulleys are greater in diameter than'theinside grooves of the pulleys. Consequently, the ropes at the outer sides of the pulleys are higher than the inside ropes and serve as side guides to prevent the folded textile ribbon from sliding sidewise ofi' the conveyor.

The ends of the shafts `supporting the pulleys and sheaves may be within the chamber but preferably extend through the sides of the chamber in appropriate stuiiing boxes, which keep the chamber'sealed and also facilitate lubrication of the structure.

The movement of the conveyor as viewed in Fig. l is counter-clockwise so that the vertical folds delivered onto the conveyor from the curved chute are carried toward the left-hand end of the. conveyor.

The speed of the conveyor with respect to the speed of the feed mechanism (i. e. the drive pulleys which introduce the ribbon of textile into the steam chamber) is such that the vertical folds arepreserved on the conveyor.

When the upright folds of the ribbon reach the left-hand end oi the conveyor, they are lifted therefrom by means of the pick-up roll 2| which comprises a plurality of discs 46, liiA, et seq. mounted concentrically on a common shaft t1 that is parallel to the pulleys, with the discs disposed between the ropes of the conveyor and extending slightly above them. These discs are positively driven in a counter-clockwise direction and lift the oncoming folds upwardly from the rope conveyor and push them onto the upwardly curved discharge guide 22 of sheet material, for example a. stainless steel sheet which curves up wardly in the discharge end oi the steam chamber, the lower end of the sheet being disposed approximately horizontal and tangential to the pick-up roll.

The folds of the tei-.tile ribbons lifted from the conveyor ropes with the pick-up roll are deposited on the discharge slide and are pushed upwardly on this guide until they assume a more or less horizontal position and form a shallow pile. The material is removed continuously from the top of this pile and is unfolded and carried upwardly through the top of the discharge end of the chamber. The upwardly moving ribbon of cloth passes over an interior guide roll t9 near the top of the 'discharge end of the chamber and thence through an exit slit orgland to a series of other rolls 50, 5|, 5-2, 53 disposed outside the steam chamber. From this point, the unfolded ribbon of textile is carried continuously to the next textile treatment process, for example s washing operation.

The upward movement of the cloth is brought about by means of a driving roll iid and a pair of tension rolls 5i, 52 at the top of the chamber.

In the operation of the apparatus, the continuous ribbon of textile. for example greige cloth. is drawn through an impregnation apparatus (not shown) wherein it is saturated with the treating agent, for example an aqueous solution of sodium chlorite. The ribbon of cloth in full width, is passed over the outside driving rolls, through the sealing gland, thence over the inside driving roll, and falls past the steam stripper into the guideway or folder. When the operation is initiated, folding may be facilitated by moving the upper end of the guideway to the left, i. e. by placing the two upper supporting bars near the left-hand limits of their ranges, and at the same time moving the lower and right-hand supporting bar further to the left thanthe right-hand upper bar. This causes the cloth to fall onto the righthand guide ropes and to be held back by frictional contact therewith, so that it falls over toward the left-hand guide ropes. When it strikes the left-hand guide-ropes, the cloth is deflected backward in another fold.

After the folding operation has started, the guide ropes may be adjusted to a more vertical position, and the cloth will continue to be deposited in the form of a series of more or less hori-f zontal and loose folds. The pile of folds is relatively shallow and slides downwardly under its own weight between the curved sheets of the chute. The right-hand bends of the cloth slide along the right-hand or lower curved sheet with relative ease, and to a. greater extent than the left-hand bends of the cloth. In other words, a drag is produced on the left-hand bends of the cloth by the upper guide sheet with the result that the folds are turned and emerge from the lower end of the chute in a more or less upright position.

The upright folds deposited on the ropes of the endless conveyor are carried through the steam chamber to the pick-up roll, which lifts g them off the conveyor and pushes them on the discharge guide sheet into a horizontal position from which they are removed as described hereinbefore.

The apparatus of our invention folds the cloth into relatively loose folds which do not form permanent creases. The loose folds thus formed are preserved and not packed tightly together because they are carried through the steaming chamber on the conveyor in a vertical and substantially free position and are not pushed substantially. In other words, the folds are preserved in a loose form during their passage along the conveyor, and are not compressed substantially when the pick-up rolls slide them up on the discharge chute.

By maintaining the cloth in loose folds, the entire fabric is kept uniformly saturated with the treating solution and consequently is subjected to a substantially uniform treatment.

By maintaining the folds in an upright position, the weight on any given portion of the cloth is relatively slight so that the treating liquor is not squeezed nonuniformly outof any portion of the cloth. Moreover, thelloose vertical folds of cloth are such as to permit free access of the steam to all portions of the cloth, and this together with maintenance of uniform saturation of the cloth with the treating solution leads to exceptionally thorough, effective and uniform results and the elimination of crows feet and other blemishes which tend to be present in steamed fabrics.

The apparatus is easy to operate and does not require great attention. lIfhe presence of the shallow pile of folds on the discharge slide permits the withdrawal of the treated cloth without concern for close and continuous coordination of speed of withdrawal with speed` of introduction of cloth into the chamber. In

1. In apparatus' for steaming textiles, the combination which comprises a closed steam cham* ber, a lateral conveyer disposed in the chamber,

an upright guideway disposed within and open to the atmosphere of said chamber, means for introducing a ribbon of cloth continuously into the upper end of said guideway so as to form therein a series of substantially horizontally disposed, superimposed accordion folds, the guideway being adapted to permit the downward passage of the folded ribbon of cloth therethrough, means for depositing continuously the folded ribbon passing from the lower end of the guideway on one end of the conveyer with the folds in a substantially upright position, and means for withdrawing the steamed ribbon of cloth continuously from the opposite end of the conveyer and from the chamber.

2. In apparatus for steaming textiles, the combination which comprises a closed steam chamber, a lateral conveyer disposed in the chamber, an upright guideway having flexible sides disposed' within and open to the atmosphere of said chamber, means for introducing a ribbon of cloth continuously into the upper end of said guideway so as to form therein a series of substantially horizontally disposed, superimposed accordion folds, the guideway being adapted to permit the downward passage of the folded ribbon of cloth therethrough, means for depositing continuously the folded ribbon passing from the lower end of the guideway on one end of the conveyer with the folds in a substantially upright position, and means for withdrawing the steamed ribbon of cloth continuously from the opposite end of the conveyer and thence from the chamber.

3. In apparatus for steaming textiles, the combination `which comprises a closed steam chamber, a lateral conveyer disposed in the chamber, an upright guideway formed by upwardly extending ropes disposed within and open to the atmosphere of said chamber, means for introducing a ribbon of cloth continuously into the upper end of said guideway so as to form therein a series of substantially horizontally disposed, superimposed accordion folds, the guideway being adapted to permit the downward passage of the folded ribbon of cloth therethrough, means for depositing continuously the folded ribbon passing from the lower end of the guideway on one end of the conveyer with the folds in a substantially upright position, and means for withdrawing the steamed ribbon of cloth continuously from the opposite end of the conveyer and thence from the chamber.

4. In apparatus for steaming textiles, the combination which comprises a closed steam chamber, a lateral conveyer disposed in the chamber, an upright guideway disposed within and open to the atmosphere of saidl chamber, means for introducing a ribbon of cloth continuously into the upper end 'of said guideway so as to form therein a series of substantially horizontally disposed, superimposed accordion folds, the guideway being adapted to permit the downward passage of the folded ribbon of cloth therethrough, a curved chute disposed in the chamber approximately tangential at its upper end to the lower end of the guideway and at its lower end to the conveyer surface and adapted to permit the downward passage of the folded ribbon of cloth therethrough, whereby the folded ribbon is deposited continuously on one end of the conveyer with the folds in a substantially upright position, and means for withdrawing the ribbon of cloth continuously from the other end of the conveyer and thence from the chamber.

5. In apparatus for steaming textiles, the combination which comprises a closed steam chamber, a lateral conveyer disposedin the chamber, an upright guideway disposed within and open 'to the atmosphere oi said chamber, at least one side of said guideway being laterallyl adjustable' means for depositing continuously,l the folded ribbon passing from the lower end of the guideway on one end of the conveyer with the folds in a substantially upright position and means for withdrawing the steamed ribbon of cloth continuously from the opposite end of the conveyer andA thence from the chamber.

'1. In apparatus for steaming textiles, the com-4 l l with respect to the inner ropes of the conveyer,

with respect to the opposite side, means for introducing a ribbon of. cloth continuously into the upper end of said guideway so as to form therein a series of substantially horizontally disposed superimposed accordion folds, the-guideway being adapted to permit the downward passage of the folded ribbon of cloth therethrough, a downwardly curved chute adapted to guide the folded ribbon of cloth from the lower end of the upright guideway and deposit it continuously on one end of the conveyer with the folds in a substantially upright position, and means for withdrawing the ribbon of cloth continuously from the other end of the conveyer and thence from the chamber.

6. In apparatus for steaming textiles, the combination which comprises a closed steam chamber, a lateral conveyer disposed in the chamber, a plurality of friction rolls for introducing a ribbon of cloth continuously intoan upper portion of the chamber, at least one ofv said rolls being disposed within the chamber, a steam jet disposed in the path of the cloth for stripping the ribbon from the last roll, an upright guideway disposed within and open to the atmosphere of said chamber and positioned beneath the innermost friction roll so that the ribbon of cloth passing from the innermost rolls falls into the guideway forming therein a series of substantially horizontally disposed, superimposed accordion folds, the guideway being adapted to permit the downward passage of the folded ribbon of cloth therethrough,

an upright guideway disposed within and open to the atmosphere of said chamber, means for introducing a ribbon of cloth continuously into the upper end of said guideway so as to form therein a series of substantially horizontally disposed, superimposed accordion folds: the amideway being adapted to permit the downward passage of the folded ribbon of cloth therethrough, means for depositing continuously the folded ribbon passing from thelower end of the guldeway on one end of thc` conveyer with the folds in a substantially upright position, and means for withdrawing the steamed ribbon of cloth continuously from the opposite end of the conveyer and thence from the chamber.

8. In apparatus for steaming textiles, the combination which comprises a closed steam chamber, a lateral conveyer disposed in the chamber, an upright guideway disposed within and open to the atmosphere of said chamber, means comprising friction rolls for vintroducing a ribbon of cloth continuously into the upper end of said guideway so as to form therein a series of substantially horizontally disposed, superimposed accordion folds, the guideway being adapted to permit the continuous, downward passage of the folded cloth therethrough by gravity. gravity actuated means for depositing continuously the folded ribbon passing from the lower end of the guideway on one end of the conveyer with the folds in a substantially upright position, and means comprising friction rolls for withdrawing the steamed ribbon of cloth continuously from the opposite end of the conveyer and thence from the chamber, the movement of the cloth to, through and from the chamber being actuated solely by gravity and frictional means.

l GEORGE P. VINCENT.

.ARCHIE LOUIS-DUBEAU. 

